While we can only wonder what Mr Honda in Japan will come up with in terms of electric drive technology in coming years, the bike in the images is the work of E-Trials training buddy Craig, a local home engineer who used key components that are the motor and controller from Germany and a battery pack from a Chinese built Sur-Ron to create the Montessa 4RT derived Trials bike.
The most impressive aspect of this bike is that Craig has also created his own conventional type mechanical clutch, driven by the electric motor through a reduction gear. The CNC machined drive-train looks 'factory' and is placed in a way to achieve similar weight bias as the original bike. I have tested a few versions of Craig's project during 2020, the first version featured a direct drive-train, see picture in attachments below.
The ride test- with the proven 4RT chassis and suspension taking care of the bikes handling, the "ERT" is actually lighter than the donor bike, all fuelled up. The torque is smooth, delivered by a controller that is actually mounted on the side of the motor. Craig is also experimenting with a low RPM 'idle' at the moment, a bit like a petrol bike which requires the clutch to stop the bike moving forward. Compared to my E Pure Race, it has perhaps 20% less performance on offer in simple terms, which is still pretty good and very usefull for a blast up a long dry waterfall in the test I had, showing good grip/ torque characteristics. The ride time is around 3 x hours of non-stop riding, which is enough for a Trial competition or practice day.
Specifications-
Motor- Air cooled Plettenberg Nova 15 (15kw)
Controller- MST 80-240 (Intergrated)
Battery- Sur-Ron 60v, 16s, upgraded 200amp BMS (battery management system)
Clutch- 4RT with heavy duty springs, Apico friction and steel plates
Primary Drive- 4RT crank gear to clutch gear
Reduction Gear- 13.3 : 1
Weight- 58kg
Written by- Richard Kent
